And in a new biography 'Jose Mourinho: Up close and personal' by journalist Rob Beasley, serialised in the Daily Mail, the then Chelsea boss' unhappiness at the deal and dislike for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger led him to consider buying the England duo.

Jose Mourinho's early start at the Lowry Hotel

Fri, September 23, 2016

Click through the gallery for the best snaps of Jose Mourinho's early start

Click through the gallery for the best snaps of Jose Mourinho's early start

He wrote: "What was undeniable was the depth of Mourinho's dislike for Wenger. That could certainly be proven beyond all reasonable doubt and Jose boiled over again when Arsenal were trying to sign Chelsea's goalkeeper Petr Cech for £10m in the summer of 2015.

"Mourinho wasn't interested in the money. "He wanted to keep Cech but was overruled by owner Roman Abramovich.

"He took his frustration out on Wenger, whom he blamed for unsettling Cech, and immediately hatched a plan to try to turn a straightforward cash sale into a swap deal in a bid to prise away, or at the very least unsettle, a couple of young Arsenal stars in retaliation.

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Jose Mourinho and Petr Cech

"He told me in an email: 'Mister Wenger wants Cech and he thinks about money...he is wrong!!! What I want is to f*** him...Want Cech? OK, I want (Theo) Walcott or (Alex) Oxlade-Chamberlain!!! Want a top goalkeeper? OK, I want a young player, s*** with you but I can make him top.'

"The inference was clear. He could make Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott top, top stars and succeed where Wenger had failed.

"On this occasion the Frenchman had the last laugh for once, landing Cech without sacrificing any of his players and then seeing Mourinho sacked by Christmas 2015."